Syria: The imperative of de-escalation
A diplomatic strategy for the conflict in Syria
Experts & Staff
Daniel Levy
President, US/Middle East Project
ECFR Alumni · Director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme
Areas of expertise
Middle East, National Security
Languages
English, Hebrew
Biography
Daniel Levy used to be head of the Middle East and & North Africa programme at ECFR until 2016.
De-escalating the Syria conflict
A rare moment of opportunity has emerged to renew diplomatic efforts to resolve the Syria conflict. The priority now must be de-escalating the level of violence and the reducing the threat of regional spill-over
Europe can keep the two-state solution on track
As the prospects of a two-state outcome on Israel/Palestine fade, Europeans need to apply tougher love to both parties before it is too late.
Nice Speech, Mr. President
Obama said all the right things in Jerusalem, but what next? The visit has offered nothing new on the programmatic side, no plan for going forward.
Obama’s visit to Israel: Embrace the victory of politics over substance
If Obama begins to grasp the tribal, fluid and divided nature of Israeli politics and how to impact Israeli voters and their leaders, then this visit might be worth something after all.
Lost Tribes
The Israeli election on Jan 22 is not about Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu. It is best understood as a “Tribes of Israel” election that will take identity politics to a new level and may accelerate Israel's journey towards hegemonic nationalism.
The Palestine UN vote and Europe
European countries are split over recognising Palestine at the United Nations, but moving foward, Daniel Levy offers seven points to takeaway from a European perspective.
Seven takeaways from the Gaza ceasefire
Did Israel's “Operation Pillar of Defense” change the politics of the Middle East? Who are the winners and losers of the Gaza conflict – and what's next after the Israel-Hamas ceasefire?
Israel: Living by the sword
What was the assessment that prompted Israel's operation in Gaza and what might that tell us about its intended outcome and trajectory? Of course the timing can be explained with the approaching elections in Israel. But that is only part of the story.
Publications
European Foreign Policy Scorecard 2016
The sixth ECFR Foreign Policy Scorecard highlights the EU’s diminishing ability to influence its neighbours, and the neighbourhood’s growing impact on the EU
Syrian Diplomacy Renewed: From Vienna to Raqqa
An “Islamic State first” strategy, that neglects the urgent need to secure political progress and de-escalation in Syria will fail
The road back to European power
The EU needs an honest assessment of its capabilities and to set limited goals behind which member states can show sustainable unity
European Foreign Policy Scorecard 2015
The fifth edition of ECFR’s Foreign Policy Scorecard examines EU’s response to a year of crisis
The Islamic State through the regional lens
Essay collection on the regional dimensions of the IS crisis
Rebooting EU Foreign Policy
The EU is ill-equipped to respond to foreign policy crises
European Foreign Policy Scorecard 2014
A comprehensive assessment of European foreign policy
The regional struggle for Syria
How regional actors shape the conflict in Syria
Syria: The imperative of de-escalation
A diplomatic strategy for the conflict in Syria
Articles
How to create the conditions for progress in Israel and Palestine
Human rights and international law should be a timeless part of addressing problems in Israel and Palestine, but the international community urgently needs to begin doing so once more
Cameron’s case for Syria strikes falls short
In the absence of an adequate political and diplomatic strategy, bombing in Syria may do more harm than good
Deflated but defiant, Mr. Netanyahu goes to Downing Street
A visit to Downing Street is a welcome distraction for Mr. Netanyahu as Congressional options close over Iran deal
Why it may suit Iran to let the Saudis win in Yemen
Analysis: For outside powers, the Yemen crisis is part of a balancing act with the nuclear deal at its heart
Israeli elections primer: What to look out for
For the first time this century the leader of Israel’s Labour Party appears to be genuinely competing for the position of Prime Minister.
Netanyahu treads softly in America, but is incoherent on Iran
Netanyahu may come out of the US-Israel political brouhaha relatively unscathed, but his incoherence on the Iran issue itself is far more worrying and damaging.
Encouraging regional ownership of the fight against the Islamic State
The West needs to push regional actors to assume their responsibilities in confronting the threat posed by IS
On recognising Palestine: speech excerpts from Daniel Levy
There is a case to be made for Europe not recognising the Palestinian state, but is it a worthwhile one?
The Islamic State in the Jewish state’s wing mirror
The biggest danger for Israel, as it is for some of its neighbours, is that the “Islamic State metastasising threat narrative” could become a self-fulfilling prophecy
Israel’s spinning moral compass
Apparent wall-to-wall consensus in favour of the Gaza offensive among the Israeli public masks a deep internal moral malaise
Specials
Israel-Palestine Two State Stress Test
ECFR’s innovative project Two State Stress Test provides a health-check on whether developments across seven different areas are serving to strain or sustain a possible two-state outcome for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Podcasts
Israel-Palestine after UNGA part 1 – a Palestinian leadership perspective
In the first discussion Dr Nabil Shaath, a senior member of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, looks at the internal Palestinian democratic process and the…
Israel-Palestine after UNGA part 2 – an Israeli human rights perspective
The second panel discusses the campaign in Israel for Palestinian human rights and the consequences of prolonged occupation for Palestinians and for Israeli democracy…
ECFR’s World in 30 Minutes: Iran Deal
ECFR's director Mark Leonard speaks to Daniel Levy, director of the MENA programme, and to policy fellows Julien Barnes-Dacey and Ellie Geranmayeh, about the…
Israel’s bus segregation row and Netanyahu’s new political challenges
With only a few months following his election victory, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is faced with his first crisis over a discriminatory pilot…
Previewing Israel’s elections – what to look out for and what it might mean
With the Israeli elections coming up, Rosemary Hollis, Professor of Middle East Policy Studies at City University, Menachem Klein, Professor of Political Science at…
Gaza Six Months On – An Unsustainable Quiet
Sami Abdel Shafi, Representative of the Carter Center in Gaza, Tony Laurance, Chief Executive of Medical Aid for Palestinians, Maha Abu Shama, Programme Officer…
Riyadh’s Perspective on a Region in Turmoil
Saudi Arabian Prince Turki bin Faisal al-Saud and ECFR's Daniel Levy discuss to what extent Riyadh's relations with the West are going through a…
ECFR’s World in 30 minutes: European elections and Middle East peace process
Mark Leonard talks to Jose Ignacio Torreblanca and Daniel Levy about the European elections, euroscepticism, and the Middle East peace process after Kerry
In the media
Washington should not underestimate the extent to which the extremely unpopular assault on Gaza is seen globally as not only Israel’s war, but America’s as well
Daniel Levy explains why the Biden administration needs a reset on Israel
For so much of the Global South, [Palestine] is a kind of avatar of a rebellion against western hypocrisy, against this unacceptable global order, and against the post colonial order
Daniel Levy comments on a global order facing mutiny over its domination of the international discourse
I don’t think it would be wise for any Palestinian movement to say: ‘We will do this under the watchful eye of Israel’
Daniel Levy explains why he counsels the Palestinian Authority against entering Gaza if security remains an Israeli preserve
The lie at the heart of American-led normalization is that this is peacemaking, and is somehow a substitute for dealing with the core Israeli-Palestinian issue
Daniel Levy explains failings in the Israeli system with the 2020 Abraham Accords
Daniel Levy on 'Made in Settlements' labels in Europe